Reading
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Rationale For The Reading Curriculum At St. Martin's
“So it is with children who learn to read fluently and well: They begin to take flight into whole new worlds as effortlessly as young birds take to the sky.” —William James
At St. Martin’s our aim is for every child to leave school as a fluent, confident reader, not only because reading is a valuable skill in its own right, but also because it is crucial to allow them to access the breadth of the curriculum as increasingly independent learners.
As primary educators, we hope that some of our pupils will be inspired to study English Literature at university, and our curriculum provides the first steps on this learning journey with an initial focus on decoding text, but moving on to analyse structure, themes and the author’s intent in Key Stage 2.
For those children whose academic journeys take them in other directions, reading is still key to their development. It is through their reading of quality texts that children are able to absorb that knowledge valued by society, known as cultural capital. In order to participate fully in society, children will need to be able to read critically.
Finally, for many children reading is a source of great pleasure which will remain with them into adulthood.
At St. Martin’s, our aim is for every child to leave school as a fluent, confident reader, not only because reading is a valuable skill in its own right, but also because it is crucial to allow them to access the breadth of the curriculum as increasingly independent learners.
As primary educators, we hope that some of our pupils will be inspired to study English Literature at university, and our curriculum provides the first steps on this learning journey with an initial focus on decoding text, but moving on to analyse structure, themes and the author’s intent in Key Stage 2.
For those children whose academic journeys take them in other directions, reading is still key to their development. It is through their reading of quality texts that children are able to absorb that knowledge valued by society, known as cultural capital. In order to participate fully in society, children will need to be able to read critically. For many children, reading is a source of great pleasure which will remain with them into adulthood.
How do we teach reading at St Martin's?
Children in Year 2 and Key stage 2 enjoy Whole Class Reading sessions. Using this approach to the teaching of readiing means that the teacher can better plan activities which allow children to access reading skills. It also allows the teacher to work with the children that need it the most at that time. Differentiation can be achieved in many ways: the difficulty of the text the children are working on; the questions the teacher is asking them; the level of support they are receiving. The outcome of the lesson is often written but not always. Teaching the whole class the same objective removes the problem of independent groups and it allows the teacher to focus on one objective in depth and better prepare children for the expectation of written responses at the end of KS2.
Children atre aware of the reading skills that they arelearning in order to give them a greater understanding of what makes a well-rounded reader. We can break down these skills using the VIPERS acronym.
Vocabulary
Inference
Prediction
Explanation
Retrieval
Summarise
The skills of reading do not always revolve around books. This is particularly useful for those children who are not the most fluent readers as they can still develop their explanation, retrieval, inference , summary and vocabulary skills, without being limited to what they can decode. This may involve listening to the teacher or peers reading or using pictures or short films. These activities make children aware of the different reading skills.
St Martin’s has a book spine for each year group. Each year group’s spine contains a selection of books that have been specifically chosen to ensure that, by the time they leave our school, they have heard, read or studied in greater depth a range of books and poems . Each spine contains a range of books and poems that are archaic, non-linear, have a complex narrative or plot, are resistant in terms of plot / sequence or symbolic in terms of themes. They have also been chosen to represent some of the latest and best releases, as well as representing some genres and authors that our children may not necessarily choose to read of their own accord. Our book spine is a working document and is reviewed at least annually by class teachers and the Literacy leader and adjusted according to the needs of the cohort.
Teachers plan reading lessons using the school's reading progression document to ensure that a range of age appropriate skills are taught in each reading lesson.
Reading books
In KS1 children’s books are changed regularly and decodable books will be issued that are appropriate to the phonic phase that the child is working on. In addition, children will have access to a book to read for pleasure from the library ( chosen by the child) . Teachers will monitor reading records daily to ensure that children are reading regularly at home. This will enable them to quickly identify those children that need extra reading support in school. In Year 2, once children are confidently decoding, they will be issued with a book from the appropriate reading band as well as a choosing a book to read for pleasure
In KS2, children choose a reading books at the appropriate level to suit their reading ability from a supply of banded books that is in each classroom. In addition, they chose a book to read for pleasure from the library or from a class library. Strong communication and support between home and school is essential in the teaching of reading. Children are expected to read at home each day. Reading Workshops are held annually to advise parents/carers on the reading strategies used at St Martin’s and how best they can help their child at home.
